The invention generally relates to ferroelectric single crystal materials. More particularly, the invention relates to SrTiO3 single crystal materials.
Polycrystalline ceramics and films which have preferred crystalline orientation exhibit unique and improved properties, e.g., piezoelectric, ferroelectric, mechanical, thermal, and magnetic properties compared to materials which have random crystalline orientation.
Various processing techniques have been used to fabricate polycrystalline ceramics and films which have preferred orientation. Examples of these techniques include templated grain growth, sol-gel processing, pulsed-laser deposition, and RF magnetron sputtering. To form oriented polycrystalline ceramics and films, the correct selection of the substrate material is critical, regardless of the processing technique. In general, single crystal seeds or substrates which have crystal structure and lattice parameters similar to the targeted materials are employed.
Anisotropically shaped single-crystal particles of materials which have a cubic crystal structure are of considerable interest due to potentially favorable properties of such materials. However, due to crystal symmetry, materials which have a cubic crystal structure typically grow as equiaxed crystals. Anisotropically shaped single crystal particles which have a cubic crystal structure thus have not been available.
A need therefore exists for anisotropically shaped single crystal particles which have a cubic crystal structure and which can serve as templates for growth of oriented crystalline ceramics and films such as those which have the perovskite crystal structure.